Most scammed companies

[Paddington]

I must get a weekly call from the Indian gentleman from Microsoft who is most concerned about the health of my computer and my unhealthy viewing habits.
Amazon are always chasing up the latest £1000 mobile ordered in my name and BT often need access to my computer to sort out my account.
There are the energy saving companies who offer to save me loads of money at no obligation, but do a Boris when asked any technical questions.
Am I just unlucky or do other TFFers get similar calls ?

 

[killie_cowboy]

Putting your number and email down in dodgy websites is often to blame.

Idk what it is but generally being gullible on the internet lands you in this position. Those who didn't grow up with the internet are particularly so where younger folk are generally very good at clocking when something's a scam. At my grandparents there's probably as many scam calls on the house phone as genuine ones.

Good practice is if they don't say anything within 1.5 seconds of you answering, sound Indian and/or you are not expecting a call from them then slam the phone.

 

[graham mc]

the usual deal on mobile phones esp when i tell them i spend£4k an month i then ask them if they want my bank details to scam me then they go quiet

 

[PI Stsker]

I get several calls a week from “HMRC” that I owe them money and my account will be blocked unless I ‘wire them the money immediately’

same as OP from “Microsoft” about my internet search history, another weird one more recently is a number from miles away ringing on behalf of my local council doing a survey.
I just block all the numbers they try on as they call.

 

[steveR]

I get several calls a week from “HMRC” that I owe them money and my account will be blocked unless I ‘wire them the money immediately’

same as OP from “Microsoft” about my internet search history, another weird one more recently is a number from miles away ringing on behalf of my local council doing a survey.
I just block all the numbers they try on as they call.

Same.

I did get "caught" last week with a local number scam type call. Checked on the internet after, and it is a genuine, local scam company!!

 

[Red Fred]

I find the only calls I get on the landline are scams of one sort or another. I don't answer it any more but check the callers' numbers online and they are inevitably scammers.

 

[colhonk]

Had several calls about the accident that I have (eh,news to me )had, Ohh is that the one where i was the fatality silence silence click phone down.

 

[Y Fan Wen]

'This call is from bank security...'
Sometimes several times a week. I leave the receiver off until it disconnects.

 

[PSQ]

I just block all the numbers they try on as they call.

Same here, saved as a special 'contact' with all alerts and ringtones turned off, about 8 pages of them:

 

[cb387]

When someone from a foreign call centre calls I always tell them I don’t have a phone and see how long it takes them to realise

 

[Wellytrack]

Depends what humour I’m in, sometimes I quite enjoy a decent scam call.

 

[robs1]

Had an advert come up on my phone for an investment company last wk that sounded genuine and as it was on my phone and I'm looking to invest some money I filled in the online form, had a call from a lad yesterday who promised the earth and better than average returns etc, I said send me some background as I'm a cynic, he did and it's pretty slick website and they could be genuine but can't find any reference to them except via trustpilot and the nine reviews are all within the last six weeks , they admit they aren't FCA registered but claim to be ARM which seems to be a Dutch version yet not on their register. They may be legit but these days just can't be too careful so won't be playing ball.

 

[PI Stsker]

Had an advert come up on my phone for an investment company last wk that sounded genuine and as it was on my phone and I'm looking to invest some money I filled in the online form, had a call from a lad yesterday who promised the earth and better than average returns etc, I said send me some background as I'm a cynic, he did and it's pretty slick website and they could be genuine but can't find any reference to them except via trustpilot and the nine reviews are all within the last six weeks , they admit they aren't FCA registered but claim to be ARM which seems to be a Dutch version yet not on their register. They may be legit but these days just can't be too careful so won't be playing ball.

I think when it comes to investment your better sticking with the bank or doing deals yourself!

these ‘investment’ companies you can find two for a penny online will only be taking a chunk of commission.

 

[robs1]

I think when it comes to investment your better sticking with the bank or doing deals yourself!

To be honest the best investments I have made is converting old and some newish ag buildings into industrial units, most have paid for themselves withing two or three years depending on their use and therefore level of investment. The beauty is there is no-one creaming profits off like so many investments

 

[PI Stsker]

To be honest the best investments I have made is converting old and some newish ag buildings into industrial units, most have paid for themselves withing two or three years depending on their use and therefore level of investment. The beauty is there is no-one creaming profits off like so many investments

And you can see your investment! All very well investing a few bob with one of these companies, with X returns but where does it actually go? At least if the industrial units look like it could fail you are at the front of it to do something before it’s too late!

 

[goodevans]

Had several calls about the accident that I have (eh,news to me )had, Ohh is that the one where i was the fatality silence silence click phone down.

Same here,I normally end up telling them I was in a terrible mess and I wouldn't be wearing my pants again,another one was on Christmas eve and played them along till the bit when I said they pulled out in front of me and they were were pulling a sleigh and the driver had a white beard

 

[melted welly]

Had several calls about the accident that I have (eh,news to me )had, Ohh is that the one where i was the fatality silence silence click phone down.

I found those ones stopped after a while if you greet them warmly and ask why it’s taken so long for them to get back to you. You then get put through to the boss who doesn’t like having his time wasted.

 

[melted welly]

Shouldn’t really be funny but we’ve a relative with quite a high opinion of himself who spent a whole morning working out his return on investment after receiving an email directly from Elon Musk offering him investment opportunities in Space-Ex. No money was exchanged, but he did spend a long time in silence in the sitting room after it was suggested all may not be as first appeared.

 

[Wellytrack]

Got a call from Kevin one day. Kevin is from Mumbai. He called me, obviously I know Kevin and I just launched into “Kevin!” “It’s yourself?” “Long time no chat, how’s the wife? How’s the weans” “What’s happening?”

His confusion was palpable.

 

[melted welly]

The ones who manage to have a random Uk area dialling code appear get caught off guard when asked what the weathers like in Birkenhead or wherever the computers put them as.